Paul Weller - Paul Weller

Amazing, his best

I got introduced to The Jam by a high school friend (this would be late 80s). I vaguely knew about The Style Council but didn't connect the two, as Paul's never really made it in America. Then Weller did his solo album in the early 90s and I passed it by. Flash forward fifteen years. A friend of mine gave me a copy of Wild Wood and I decided I'd really missed something... or maybe I'd just grown into the music in the first place in the intervening years. Anyway, I've now gotten all of the Modfather's solo back catalog, along with a chunk of The Style Council (I still had my old Jam CDs).

It might be that the songs on this disk just perfectly fit my mood right now. It's a transitional album for sure, but I really feel it captured what those classic '70s soul albums I'd come to love over the last several years. Paul was going from the very jazzy/poppy Style Council to much more straight rock later and managed to land in the intersection between the two... right smack dab in the best of early '70s soul, which is some of the most vital music ever to come out of the rock 'n' roll songbook. One hundred years from now people will still be listening to Marvin Gaye and Al Green, and hopefully to Paul. It was as if Paul had a time machine that took him back to the headspace of "Let's Get Together," "What's Going On" or "That's The Way of the World," though the material is, of course, his own. I really love the production and instrumentation here. It's stripped down and totally fits the material. October 18, 2008

Paul Weller

This album reintroduces former Style Council leader Paul Weller, with some great songs.
"Remember how we started" sounds much better on Live Wood, but enjoy it here too.

After recovering from The Style Council's career end (at the hands of fans and Polydor alike), Paul emerges to commence a solo career lasting longer than either of his previous bands. March 5, 2008

Bit of Both Worlds

Solid album with songs that sound like the 'new' Paul Weller and some that sound like the Style Council Weller. Foremost the songs are good.
December 29, 2007

4.5 stars Weller's return to form

This first selfmade and coproduced solo album from the modfather was what the Style Council failed to do. In the same vein of much of what he recorded with his followup band after the jam- Weller ditched the cheesy synths and made a clean break with a more "earthy" soul sound and better production. Wellers voice also improved greatly from this point on. Songs like above the clouds- remember how we started- and bullrush all sound like council numbers in their style but they succeed on all levels- something the STC only managed a few times despite some great tunes. Into tomorrow sounds like what the Jam may have sounded like if they stayed together.(this is one of wellers best tunes still!) Part Curtis MAyfield-Marvin Gaye- with a heavy nod towards early Traffic- Paul weller rose from the ashes and became a force again. I cannot recommend this and Wildwood enough- both are essential for fans of any music- rock pop soul r+b mod. Other highlights include kosmos and Bitterness rising. March 17, 2006

Style Council's Final Album-Proper

Paul Weller's first solo album feels quite like any of the Style Council's albums- Jazzy cords, funk interludes and romantic themes. In fact, most of the members of Style Council play the music.

It makes sense that Paul Weller "disbanded" the Style Council. Although I believe they were an amazing band, it had definitely run it's course with the final unreleased album of house music that record label refused to release (although you can hear it in it's entirety on the box set). Paul Weller needed to break out of the box he had created with the Style Council- much what he did with The Jam but with a lot less controversy.

"Paul Weller", in some ways is a cathartic album, in that it is him shaking out all the ideas that he wanted to get out on Style Council albums while going into the new direction that he would hit his stride with on his next album Wild Wood.

Song's like Uh-Huh Oh Yeah and Into Tomorrow were definitely new directions for Weller. Earthier, more soul, less polish. While Round & Round, Amongst the Butterflies, Above the Clouds and Remember How We Started fit in with plenty of The Style Council's catalog, there is a an earthiness that wasn't present before which makes for a nice cohesiveness between the old and new styles.

"Paul Weller" is an excellent album; he was on top of his game but in a transitional mode; every song is engaging and moody. This and Wild Wood are excellent solo albums to check out if you are interested in Paul Weller. Also check out The Jam's All Mod Cons and Sound Effects as well as The Style Council's "Introducing..." or just about any of their compilations (but try to find one that has "Heaven's Above"). April 18, 2005

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